Encouraging writing in Early Years

Writing in the Early Years begins long before children can form letters, it grows from mark-making, physical development and language understanding and depends on children having the developmental building blocks—fine motor readiness, curiosity and an interest in writing. Early writing typically progresses from sensory exploration to patterns, shapes and lines before controlled, purposeful letters emerge. Throughout this journey, children learn that their marks carry meaning.

The Writing Framework emphasises that Early Years writing must be developmentally appropriate, play‑based, language‑rich and grounded in purposeful mark‑making that leads into early composition.

The best practice for encouraging writing in the Early Years is to make writing purposeful, playful, accessible, and embedded across the environment, with adults who model and scaffold.

Children will write more when the environment invites it

Create a setting where writing is embedded across provision.

• Daily opportunities for large‑scale and small‑scale mark‑making
• Varied tools: chunky crayons, paintbrushes, rollers, chalk, water brushes, sticks in mud, clipboards
• Easels, fences, clingfilm, tuff trays
• Labels, signs and print children can interact with
• Displays showing children’s writing at all stages
• A cosy writing nook with special pens, envelopes, notebooks

Strong writers start with strong bodies

Physical development underpins handwriting fluency. Children need strong shoulders, stable cores and dexterous fingers before they can control a pencil.

• Dough disco, finger gym, threading, tweezers
• Climbing, swinging, pushing, pulling
• Large‑scale mark‑making to build shoulder stability
• Activities that build hand strength and control

Writing is only as strong as the language behind it

Oracy is the bridge to writing so pupils must be able to say ideas before they can write them.

• Prioritise strong foundations in oracy
• Use high‑quality texts, songs, rhymes, and storytelling
• Model rich vocabulary in context
• Encourage children to orally rehearse sentences aloud before writing
• Use story retelling and sequencing to build narrative structure

Children write more when writing has a purpose

Purpose gives meaning to marks and motivates independence.

• Signs for buildings they’ve constructed
• Menus, tickets, labels, maps, messages, lists
• “Real” writing tools in every area
• Class books, postcards, invitations, posters
• Writing linked to their interests

Adults are the most powerful writing resource

Children learn by watching, hearing and joining in with adult modelling.

• Model writing daily
• Think aloud
• Use phonics knowledge accurately
• Re-read to check for sense
• Point out punctuation

Celebrate every mark

Talk to children about what their marks mean. Every mark shows a child communicating their first steps as a writer.

• Display early marks alongside more developed writing
• Use positive language
• Share writing with peers, parents and other classes
• Create class books from children’s ideas
• Use stickers, stamps and verbal praise to reinforce effort

Texts spark imagination and purpose                                                                             

High-quality texts enrich language and inspire writing.

• Use predictable, repetitive or emotionally rich stories
• Share a range of text types including poetry and non-fiction
• Provide writing linked to characters and settings
• Offer role‑play linked to the text
• Create writing enhancements based on the book

Strong foundations in the first year of school states that writing in Reception must be explicitly taught, carefully sequenced and focused on securing the foundational knowledge children need for later success — not overloaded with activities or pushed into extended writing too soon.

While Nursery and early Reception emphasise exploratory, purposeful mark‑making, Reception must ensure children secure the foundational knowledge needed for later success.

Reception writing should therefore prioritise:

• Strong phonics foundations
• Secure oral language
• Explicit teaching of accurate letter formation
• Purposeful practice to develop fluency